


a little sparkle never hurt

by melizajoyt



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Caretaking, Comfort, Drabble, F/M, Flirting, Happy Malec, Hurt/Comfort, Investigations, M/M, Minor Injuries, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Serious Injuries, Shyness, Violence, eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-05-28 23:35:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6350173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melizajoyt/pseuds/melizajoyt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jace plays a prank on Alec that Magnus very much appreciates. And then things get serious all of sudden. Don't know what that's about. Something was stolen that Magnus would really like back, thank you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Something Stolen

**Author's Note:**

> So basically I just wanted Jace to play a prank on Alec that Magnus would appreciate, but somehow it turned into something with a lot more plot than I expected and I don’t know where it will go from here, but this is what I have. Enjoy and please give me your thoughts!

"C'mon, hurry up, big brother!" Izzy called over her shoulder.

Alec huffed and flipped up the collar of his leather jacket as he made his way downstairs. 

"I wouldn't be so late if someone hadn't stuffed glitter in my shampoo bottle," he grumbled, reaching up to run his fingers through his drying hair again. He still came away with a hand covered with specks of glitter. He could hear Jace chuckling from beyond the open front door. 

"Not funny, Jace," he called. 

Alec grabbed his bow and quiver and followed Izzy out the front door of the Institute and into the frigid New York winter wind. Jace chuckled again once he saw Alec's dark hair flecked with tiny sparkles that glittered when they caught the light. "It's a little funny." 

Alec rolled his eyes and shook his head, "let's go." 

"That's right, wouldn't want to keep Magnus waiting," Izzy said. She sent a knowing smile in Alec's direction and grinned when his cheeks reddened.

Jace was two steps ahead of them and completely oblivious. When they made it to the High Warlock's loft it was Jace that knocked on the door. 

A lazy, drawling voice sounded through the intercom that made Alec stand up a little straighter. "Who is it?" 

"It's Jace, I've got Alec and Izzy with me too," he said. 

The intercom clicked off and Jace took a small step back and only had to wait a few seconds before the door swung inwards revealing an Asian man with tall, black hair and shiny beads and jewels hanging from his neck. He was lavishly dressed in deep purples and blues and black pants. There was glitter on his eyelids that blended with the dark eyeshadow there. 

"Magnus," Jace said with a small nod. 

"Young Nephilim. Come in," Magnus said, moving aside and holding the door.

Jace and Izzy passed through, Alec pulling up the rear. 

"Alexander, a man after my own heart," he murmured, eyes on Alec's hair.

Alec's cheeks flared a bright red and he ducked his head, looking for all the world like he wanted to disappear, a strange contrast for a man so tall. 

"Jace put glitter in my shampoo," he mumbled as he slipped past the warlock, catching a glimpse of the mans face, enough to see the corners of his mouth turn up. 

"It suits you," he heard him say as he closed the door. 

Alec walked to the living room portion of Magnus' loft, catching up to Jace and Izzy. Izzy had made herself comfortable in one of the large chairs and Jace was leaning against the wall, looking out at the view of the New York skyline. 

"So what do you need our help for? Your text message was very... cryptic," Jace said once the warlock joined them. 

"That's because this isn't exactly something I'd like to have broadcasted everywhere," Magnus said as he moved to pour himself a drink. 

Alec's eyes widened when Magnus suddenly spun gracefully and held out a martini glass filled with a blue liquid. His mouth dropped open, but he accepted it, holding it carefully as Magnus winked at him before turning back to pour himself a glass of something amber. He could hear Izzy giggle at him, but he refused to glance up at her, eyes focused on the rim of the glass.

"Something has been stolen from me and as much as I'd rather not have to, I've been forced into a position that requires me to ask for your help," the warlock elaborated, sitting down with a flourish and taking a sip of his drink. 

Alec and Jace spoke at the same time. 

"Someone broke in?" 

"Well what is it?" 

Jace crossed his arms across his chest as Alec blushed and glanced away awkwardly. 

"Don't worry, I don't keep it here, it was in one of my hidden stashes around the city," Magnus said. His eyes slid over the line of Alec's body, a warmth spreading through his chest knowing that he was concerned for his safety. 

"What is it?" Jace asked again, pulling Magnus' attention away from Alec.

"I can't tell you." 

Alec looked up at that, looked from Jace to Magnus, curiosity making his lips move in a soundless question. Jace stared at Magnus for a moment, his eyes narrowing. 

"Are you serious?" 

"This is not something I would jest about," the high warlock said. 

He held up a hand, the multiple rings on his fingers shining in the sunlight and cut Jace off before he could say anything. Magnus shifted a little in his chair, his shoulders rolling back. "Part of my agreement for... procuring this particular artifact included a stipulation that ensures that I can't say what it is," he said, looking a touch uncomfortable sharing even that much. 

Jace's eyebrows shot up, "a curse?" 

Magnus scoffed and shook his head. "Please. It's just a contract, but it's bonded to me by my magic and another warlocks magic too which means I can't break it." 

"Why would you do such a thing?" Isabelle asked. 

"There was a time when I was young, you know. Not quite so responsible as I am now..." Magnus said. "And it seems that over time I've become quite attached to this particular item." 

"Sorry Magnus, but we can't help with this," Jace said. 

Alec's eyes shot to Jace and looked over his face, the set of his mouth. He was serious. "What? Why not?" Alec asked. 

"We're Shadowhunters, not PI's or detectives. We fight demons, remember. Last time I checked that didn't include going on a search for lost items," Jace said. 

"Stolen," Magnus corrected. 

"Stolen, whatever. We can't help." Jace shot back. 

Alec was about to open his mouth to argue with him, but Magnus got there first.

"I'll reward you most generously," he said lightly, swirling the liquid in his glass around slowly. 

Jace's gaze narrowed and he shifted his weight, stance widening. An offer like that from a warlock wasn't something to ignore. "How?" he asked.

"I'll owe you a favor," Magnus said carefully.

"Three favors."

"One. Each," Magnus countered, staring Jace down. 

A moment of tense silence passed. 

"Deal." Jace moved closer and held out his hand to Magnus who shook it, mumbling something about silly customs as he did. 

"Great. Well any idea how we should start to look for something that we can't even identify?" Jace asked as he stepped back. 

They left not long after that, with the small amount of information that Magnus could give them. Jace had the location of Magnus' secret stash written on a piece of paper and stuffed in his pocket so that they could check it out and maybe catch something the warlock had missed on the first look over. It wasn't much to go on. They'd questioned Magnus for awhile, trying to get any clues about what this item could be, but he would just shake his head, mouth pressed in a thin line. 

"We should split up. I'll go check out the location Magnus gave us, you two should go ask around to see if someone's noticed anyone new around town," Jace said. 

"I'll check with Raphael," Izzy offered.

"And I'll ask Luke," Alec said. 

They went their separate ways, planning to meet up at the Institute later. Alec had been gone for only a couple minutes when he received a text. 

From Magnus: I wish you luck, Alexander. You may need it. 

Alec cheeks reddened in a way that had nothing to do with the chilly wind as he read the message and he smiled before pocketing his phone and continuing on his way.


	2. A Lead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec meets with Luke to hopefully get a lead on who this mysterious thief could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, guys! Can't wait for the Malec episode tomorrow!! Feel free to follow me on tumblr if you want to freak out with me when the episode airs lol --> boythisloveissupernatural.tumblr.com

If Alec thought the inner city was cold during winter, it had nothing on the chill that cut through his leather jacket when he made it to the loading docks near the werewolves territory. The tips of his ears and nose had turned pink from the cold wind whipping across his face. He moved faster. 

As soon as he got close enough he could feel their eyes on him. Werewolves. Annoyingly impossible to sneak up on as always. 

Alec gave the courtesy of knocking on the front door of the deteriorating restaurant. He wanted Luke to be helpful and that meant playing nice. He had nothing against Luke or werewolves really for that matter, but they hadn’t been the most kind and considerate group to deal with in the past. Not that the Shadowhunters had been especially nice either. Alec knew he was smart to be cautious. 

Alec had been expecting one of the betas to open the door, maybe growl a little, bare some teeth, so when the door swung open to reveal Luke instead he couldn’t help the way his eyebrows shot up in surprise. 

“Alec?”

“Yeah, hey. I’m here to talk to you… privately,” Alec said. He heard the rumbling growls of Luke’s pack from beyond the doorway and it set his teeth on edge, his shoulders tensing. 

Luke took a second to look Alec over, he didn’t look beat up and he seemed relatively calm. 

“C’mon in,” he said, stepping aside.

Alec moved forward slowly, taking in the room full of werewolves carefully. His training was screaming at him to reach for the blade he had tucked in his belt or for one of the arrows in his quiver, anything he could use to defend himself. His hand tightened around his bow as he ignored his instincts. If there was one good thing about Luke being the Alpha it was that his connection to Clary and his past as a Shadowhunter made him way less likely to be hostile towards Shadowhunters. As uncomfortable as it made him to be there he did have to admit that he was safe with Luke around. His hold on his bow loosened.

“Cool it, guys,” Luke said, giving a few pointed looks around the room until they looked away and turned back to their own conversations quietly. There was background noise of someone working away in the kitchen, pots and plates clinking together every once in a while. He moved forward and gestured to one of the table booths, watching Alec slide onto the bench before taking a spot opposite him.

“This is about as private as it gets,” Luke said with an apologetic shrug.

“Right. Werewolf hearing.”

“Is there a reason there’s glitter in your hair?” Luke asked suddenly, his eyes caught on the young man’s dark locks.

Alec blushed and shook his head, “Jace,” is all he said.

Luke made an understanding sound and nodded. 

Alec watched in disdain as more shiny flecks fell from his hair and settled on the table and on his jacket. For Angels sake, he looked like he’d spent the night with a fae. He was going to have to find a way to get back at Jace.

“So, why are you here, Alec?”

“I need to know if you’ve seen or heard of someone new coming into town. Something’s been stolen and we really need to find it, but we haven’t got many leads at the moment.”

“Someone stole something from the Institute?” Luke asked, sitting up a little straighter.

Alec became acutely aware of how quiet the restaurant was, the sound from the kitchen seemed to have stopped too. “No. Not from the Institute,” he said. Alec glanced around and leaned forward out of habit, as if that would stop a room full of werewolves from hearing him. “From Magnus Bane.”

A murmur of voices broke out after that, whispering hurriedly to each other. 

“Bane? That’s worse than someone breaking into the Institute. People don’t usually get away with stealing from a warlock, especially such a powerful one.” Luke said.

Alec took a deep breath and leaned back in his seat before letting it out.

“What was stolen?” 

“I can’t say,” Alec said, deciding to leave out the small detail that Magnus couldn’t say either. “Just know that it’s extremely valuable and Magnus wants it back,” Alec said.

“Well he must if he’s asking Shadowhunters to help him,” Luke said.

The whispering from the other werewolves had died down considerably, they were back to listening in the hopes of getting more juicy gossip.

“So have you seen anyone around that looks shifty?” Alec asked.

Luke seemed to be pulled form some deeper thinking and he let out a quick gust of air, the ghost of a laugh. 

“There’s a lot of shifty people in this city,” he said.

“Could any of them be the thief I’m looking for?” Alec pressed.

Luke reached up and rubbed his hand over his chin and jaw as he thought. 

“There were a couple people that were hanging around a few days ago. They tried to come in here, said they just wanted to get some food, but there was something off about them. We turned them away and they left. I don’t know if they’re your thieves, but they were definitely shifty.”

Alec sat up straighter and set his palms on the tabletop. “What did they look like?”

“Don’t know,” Luke said with a shake of his head. “They both had long robes on with hoods that hid their faces. I’ll admit it’s a little strange even for Downworlders, but a lot of people keep to themselves and sometimes its better not to pry.”

“Any idea where they might’ve gone or where they could be staying?” Alec asked, getting desperate for any information that could help.

“You know The Howl? Hotel a bit further in the city,” Luke said.

Alec nodded, “yeah. It’s usually for werewolves though isn’t it?” 

“Usually, but that just makes it that much easier for people who want to stay under the radar to sneak by. Try there.”

“Thanks,” Alec said, rising from his seat and stepping out from the booth. 

“Hey, I’ll keep my eyes and ears out at the station, see if I can find anything there,” he said.

“Thank you, that’d be very helpful. You can contact me through Clary,” he said, moving to leave, but Luke caught his elbow. 

“Real quick, is Clary working on this with you and the others on this?” he asked.

Alec shook his head, “no, the Clave won’t let her go on missions with us anymore since they found out about everything that happened before with her going after her mom. She’s in training. If she does well enough then she’ll be allowed back out on missions again.”

Luke nodded and took his hand back. “Good. That’s good.”

“Thanks again,” Alec said before heading to the door. 

As he stepped back outside into the chilly air he pulled his phone from his pocket to text Izzy and Jace. 

-Got a possible lead. Meet me @ The Howl.-


	3. The Howl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec, Jace and Izzy investigate at The Howl, there may even be a daring pursuit of a shady character and perhaps some bloodshed. (sorry about that last bit, but I promise all will be good in time!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> be warned: there is some fairly graphic injuries in this chapter, someone may get a bit banged up, but I promise that I would never let anyone die or suffer too much!

If possible, The Howl, looked like a more beaten up version of the old restaurant that Luke’s pack occupied. Just bigger. Much bigger. There was a glamour on the building, of course, so it looked like a normal building, but beneath the glamour there was probably about ten extra floors of hotel space added onto the top and from the looks of it, it was done recently. The top of the building seemed to sway gently from side to side; it made Alec nervous just looking at it. Alec was across the street, leaning against an alley wall and watching the hotel closely while he waited for Jace and Izzy. 

He didn’t even jump when Izzy gracefully landed beside him after jumping down from the nearby rooftop. 

“Hey,” she said, adjusting her jacket as she moved closer.

“Have any idea when Jace will be here? I thought he’d beat you,” Alec said.

“He should’ve,” Izzy said. “So what’s this lead you got?”

“Luke said there was a couple shifty characters that stopped by the pack a couple days ago, he said they might be staying here,” Alec said.

“Shifty characters? We don’t even know if they’re thieves?” 

Alec rolled his eyes and pushed away from the wall, starting to pace back and forth in the alley. “Did you find any better leads?” he shot back.

“Alright, calm down. I know you want to figure this out for Magnus, Alec,” Izzy said, her voice shifting to a more gentle tone.

Alec jerked to a stop and stared at his little sister. “T-that’s- Magnus has nothing to do with- why would you say that?” 

Izzy chuckled and tilted her head to the side, “Alec, you don’t have to do that with me. It’s okay.” 

Alec opened his mouth to respond, but he didn’t know what he was going to say. It didn’t end up mattering because right at that moment Jace came barreling around the corner at the far end of the alley, a dark looming shape following closely behind him, but gaining more of a form even as Alec watched it come closer.

“Little help!” Jace yelled.

Alec had an arrow nocked and carefully aimed within just a couple seconds. It was second nature to him. He let it fly and it landed squarely in the demons chest at the same time that a well-aimed throwing knife embedded itself in the demons brain courtesy of Izzy. Jace turned on his heel at the last moment and thrust his own blade up into the mix, ending the demon for good. They all watched as the demon vanished into smoke. 

Jace was panting lightly by the time he finally stopped in front of them. He pushed his hair back from his eyes. “Thanks.”

“Why was a demon chasing you?” Alec asked.

“How was a demon chasing you?” Izzy chimed in, glancing up at the sky. It wasn’t dark yet. The daylight should have protected him, at least kept the demon from coming out this far.

“Got into a little mix up on the way here, pissed off that guy, tricky little bastard too. He kept hugging the shadows no matter where I went and of course it’s overcast today, or at least it was a little bit ago,” Jace said, glancing up at the sky which seemed to have cleared up considerably, some bright blue peeking through between clouds. “Anyway, sorry I’m late. What’s this lead?”

“There’s a couple shifty figures that Luke ran into, says they might be staying here,” Alec said, pointing over his shoulder.

“Right. The Howl. Not a bad place to stay,” Jace said as he brushed off his leather jacket and slipped his blade away. He moved to the front quickly and started to make his way across the street towards the hotel, Izzy and Alec fell into step slightly behind him. Alec carefully arranged his bow so it was strapped across his back and he had both his hands free.

“You’ve stayed here before?” Izzy asked skeptically, her heels making soft thuds against the ground. She flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulder and peered up at the building as they came closer.

“Once or twice,” Jace said with a shrug.

“Hmm one of those ‘dates’ you used to disappear on sometimes?” Izzy asked with a smirk. “Does Clary know about those?”

Jace’s expression faltered for a second, mouth dropping open slightly as his eyes widened.

“That was before I even met her. She doesn’t need to know that,” Jace said and his eyes narrowed as he looked over at Izzy.

“Don’t worry, you’re secret’s safe with me,” she said.

Jace relaxed and hopped up onto the sidewalk before moving to get the door, he even held it open for Izzy. 

“For now,” Izzy murmured as she passed Jace. 

Alec shook his head and followed his sister inside, unable to stop his lips from twitching up at sound of her delighted laughter. Jace kind of deserved to be messed with after what he did to his hair. 

Izzy’s laughter died down once they got the chance to look around. It was better on the inside, Alec thought to himself. The building was still obviously old, but the paint on the walls wasn’t peeling and it didn’t smell terribly either like he kind of expected it to. It actually looked like an okay hotel. The floor was made out of wood and though it creaked underfoot there was a part of Alec that couldn’t help but be reminded of some of the oldest parts of the Institute that groaned and seemed to move on their own, like it was a living thing rather than just a building. This place definitely felt alive. There were some thick, ornate rugs strategically placed around the lobby as well as various pieces of furniture; old tables, desk lamps, even stacks of books here and there. 

Jace didn’t look around as much as him and Izzy before making his way over the front desk. It was a fae girl that was working the desk. Even though this was Alec’s lead, Jace took the forefront like he’d been the one who’d talked to Luke instead. Alec didn’t really mind, he was used to Jace by this point and he knew that he liked to be in charge. Other than asking Alec to describe the two individuals they were looking for a little more, Jace handled everything and somehow charmed the fae into letting them go check some of the rooms. That’s another reason he was okay with Jace taking the lead, he always got what he wanted. Alec wasn’t sure that he’d be able to get the same results if he tried. He wasn’t… charming enough for all that.

“Right, so there’s a list here of ten different rooms on- oh Angel, six different floors. Want to split them up?” Jace asked as they made their way to the stairs because the elevator was, of course, broken. 

“Sure, I’ll take the ones on the sixth and tenth floors,” Izzy said, glancing at the list for the room numbers before flashing them both a quick smile before making her way up the stairs. 

Jace sighed as he watched her go. “I should’ve seen that one coming.”

“You really should’ve,” Alec said, looking over his shoulder.

“I’ll take the twelfth and seventeenth floors,” he said before dashing up the stairs before Jace could stop him. He heard his adopted brother swear rather loudly just as he rounded the first corner and he grinned. He’d left Jace with the twentieth and twenty-seventh floors.

By the time Alec had reached the twelfth floor, Izzy had already sent him and Jace both a message saying that it wasn’t any of the occupants on the sixth floor and that she was heading to the tenth next. He was just glad he wasn’t in Jace’s position who was still stuck climbing stairs and would be for awhile.

He pushed his messy bangs up again to keep them out of his eyes as he found the first room and knocked. An elderly werewolf woman answered the door and Alec didn’t even have to ask her more than two questions before he ruled her out. His instincts let him know that this wasn’t who they were looking for. He got the sense that when he saw the thief or thieves in front of him that he would know it. 

The hallways in The Howl were rather narrow, not even big enough to place decorative desks or side tables like Alec had seen so many hotels do, but it made up for it by placing some kind of portrait, extravagant painting or ornate artifact on every bit of wall space there was. Alec got the impression that whoever was responsible for it just wanted to make sure that no one could see the awful, fading pinstripe wallpaper beneath it. He looked over the decorations idly as he made his way to the next room, when something up ahead at the end of the hallway caught his eye. It was a large painting, larger than most of the others he’d seen so far and it was placed at the corner where the hallway changed directions and went off the left. Alec couldn’t help but feel drawn to it as he slowly approached the wall where the painting hung, it took up the space from the ceiling down almost three-quarters of the way to the floor. It was a painting of a war scene. It wasn’t a battle that Alec recognized, though to be fair, history wasn’t his strongest subject. He took another small step closer to see more of the detail and a glint of gold caught his eyes. Alec’s eyes fell to the small image that was clearly of a warlock, there was wisps of colors surrounding the mans body, but a concentration of gold seemed to be exploding from the mans palms as he battled demons, his magic. Alec leaned in closer, so close he felt like his nose might brush against the canvas if he were to tip forward. There was something familiar about the man, but he couldn’t place it. The rest of the painting seemed to use relatively dark colors, common for battle scenes, but the warlock was one of the rare instances of bright, illuminative color. Before he even really thought about what he was doing Alec was sliding his phone out of his pocket and taking a short step back to take a picture of the painting. It was just as the camera made a loud shutter sound that a door from down the hallway to the left slammed shut and Alec looked up sharply, almost dropping his phone. 

Alec’s gaze locked with a pair of electric green eyes that almost seemed to glow from beneath a large hood. It’s eyes were the only thing that Alec could see clearly, the rest of the figure was hidden by a long cloak. This was one of the cloaked men that Luke had encountered, Alec knew this without a doubt. 

A moment later the figure was turning and vanishing down another hallway, but Alec was already running, hastily dialing Izzy’s number as he did. 

“Hey, Al-“

“Izzy, I’ve found him! I’m chasing him, he’s headed down towards the stairwell- towards you, cut him off!” Alec yelled before stuffing the phone in his pocket without bothering to hang up. 

He rounded another corner, keeping the figures billowing cloak in sights at all times. He was getting closer, but not close enough. Alec pushed himself faster, arms pumping as he sprinted. He hadn’t activated any of his runes, but even without them he felt like he could easily catch him especially with Izzy as backup. The cloaked person made it to the stairwell, slamming the door open and seeming to glide down the steps, gaining speed as it did. Alec ran through the doorway, shouldering the door back open where it’d started to fall shut. He paused for a second and leaned over to look down past the handrail. He could see a small figure further down below and realized that it was Izzy and he made a quick choice before hurdling over the rail and letting himself fall to the opposite rail, catching himself with two hands, his feet landing firmly. He glanced over his shoulder to check the figures progress and dropped down again and then again. 

The distance between him and the figure was closing in quite rapidly and Alec could feel an excitement building in his lower stomach. He was going to catch the figure. He just had to jump down one more rail and then he’d be able to vault over it and pounce on the cloaked individual. It was as he was falling to the next handrail that he happened to glance up, the cloaked figure had moved in a different way that caught his attention. He looked up and saw the figure twisting towards him, a wrangled, almost graying hand shooting out from beneath the cloak towards him, the glint of something shiny hurtling towards him. Alec realized what was going to happen a split second before it did.

Almost simultaneously, Alec’s hands struck against the rail and the small blade that the hooded figure had thrown at him cut through his shirt and embedded itself firmly in his side, making him cry out in pain and then surprise as he lost his grip on the rail entirely and started to fall. He heard Izzy call out his name and then a terrible scream sounded out, echoing off the walls and mixing with his own yell as he kept falling. He didn’t even have time to process the idea that he was going to fall all the way to his death when a lancing pain shot up his arm and all of sudden something was catching him, or at least, holding on to him by his left arm. He fell more though and then there was resistance, too much too fast and he felt more than heard his shoulder pop out, completely dislocated. He screamed and felt himself swinging, back and forth, dangling. Alec’s vision blurred and tears of pain streamed down his face as he continued to yell, but he managed to look up and he realized in the back of his mind that Izzy had caught him, but she’d had to use her whip to it. It was coiled around his arm, from his armpit almost all the way to his wrist. 

“Alec!” he heard Izzy yell. “Alec, you need to grab the whip! Right now!” Her voice was sharp and loud and Alec didn’t even think he just ground his teeth together and huffed out of quick, panting breath. He was shaking. He yelled out again as he had to use his dislocated arm to grip the whip wrapped around it, he grabbed onto the bit that was going straight up towards Izzy and flailed a little before finally catching a second section with his one good arm. He pulled himself up little by little with his good arm until he could feel some of the pressure alleviating from his dislocated arm even as another pain was searing through his chest. He gasped for air and his face was red and he was drenched in sweat. The knife stuck in his side felt like it was twisting in on itself and stabbing him over and over again because of his stretched out his body was. Izzy yelled for him to stay like that for a moment and he screamed again, the sound ripping out of his chest. It wasn’t just pain, but holding himself up like he was, he didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to, but the last thing he wanted was to let his grip go and put the stress of the weight of his body back on his injured shoulder. 

There was a bang of a door slamming open.

“ALEC!” It was Jace.

Alec clenched his eyes shut and focused on taking quick, short breaths. Izzy was yelling again for Jace to get to Alec. He couldn’t say how much timed passed, but it felt like an eon before someone was grabbing his right leg and pulling him to the side, closer to the hand rail, he’d been too far away and too far up to reach it on his own, but as he glanced down he could see Jace leaning out and trying to grab for him.

“Lower him down a little, Iz!” Jace yelled and Alec felt himself being lowered inch by inch. Jace could lean out and wrap his arms around both his thighs, but he waited until Alec was low enough to get a good grip around his waist before telling Izzy to let the whip fall. Jace had a firm grasp on him and Alec cried out again once he dropped down, all of the weight and pressure on his side and arm suddenly dissipating. Then he was in Jace’s capable hands as he was maneuvered over the railing and lowered to the ground. He could feel a steady stream of tears pouring from the corners of his eyes and sliding back to his hairline. The stone ground felt ice cold and he realized that his teeth were chattering and that his left side was damp with more than just sweat. He heard Jace swear under his breath and then there was pressure where he knew the blade was and he gasped, trying to squirm away from the pain. 

“I know, Alec, but I have to stem the bleeding. I know man,” Jace said, his voice the most sympathetic Alec had ever heard. Jace was trying to push his shirt out of way and he knew he was trying to get close to his heart for an amissio rune. A simple iratze wouldn’t do the trick this time around.

He heard Jace yell for Izzy just as he coughed, he coughed so hard and had to turn his head to the side and he heard Jace swear again. He tasted copper in his mouth and closed his eyes. Alec knew he wasn’t in good shape; he just needed to rest and then he’d be fine. Rest would help. He felt the familiar burn and sting of the rune being drawn into his skin and the touch of cool, nimble fingers against his temple before he passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for next chapter: Magnus protects his own and yes, Ragnor, he considers some specific, special Shadowhunters as his own. ;)


	4. If Anything Happened to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus to the rescue! Lots of protective warlock in this chapter as well as some sibling feels! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting a new chapter today because tonight is the season finale of Shadowhunters!! I'm so excited! Almost too excited to the point where I'm completely avoiding my homework that needs to get done lol and hey if anyone wants to come hang out with me and talk to me about the finale and your feels then here's my tumblr --> boythisloveissupernatural.tumblr.com
> 
> Anyway! 
> 
> I took some liberties with tmi and changed a little bit of the timeline I think. I swear I’ve read the books(at least most of them) lol, but when you combine it with Shadowhunters things get a little messy. So I think I’m gonna have Jace being adopted by the lightwoods at a younger age than he actually was in the books. I think in the books he was like ten and in this one I’m saying he’s been with the Lightwood’s since he was seven. Also, I don’t remember the exact function of the awareness rune, but in this story, in this particular moment, it’s being used to keep Alec awake and from not passing out again.

When Alec was seven, he broke his arm for the first time. He remembers training with Jace and both of them being overeager and too daring and more importantly, too clumsy. Nowhere close to the carefully honed movements that he’d grow into over time. Jace hadn’t broken anything though, only gotten some small scrapes, so maybe it was more of just an Alec thing. That seemed about right, Alec always falling just a little bit short. Ironic, really, considering how he ended up injured this time around from literally falling. 

Alec let out a huff of a breath that could’ve been a laugh at any other time when his whole body didn’t feel like it was burning in a molten fire of pain. Izzy’s hands were still cradling his head and his vision blurred dangerously. He could still hear a bit of his skin sizzling from where Izzy had drawn the awareness rune on his right side. Jace kept mumbling about how he had to stay awake and that he couldn’t go back to sleep.

Even with the rune keeping his eyes open and his brain awake, Alec knew he was struggling to hold on. His breath came in short, jagged puffs and his lungs burned with every inhale. The knife stuck in his side was definitely causing more problems than it looked like from the outside, although Jace’s hands that came away bright red with his blood when he pulled back to rip up his shirt to use as gauze would imply it was just as bad as Alec was beginning to think. Jace mumbled something and he sounded relieved, Alec guessed the amissio rune was kicking in, the bleeding slowing some. 

“Should I take the knife out?” Jace asked and Alec felt one of Izzy’s hands disappear from where it had been running through his hair. 

“No! Don’t do anything yet until Magnus gets here,” Izzy said. She had her phone pressed to her ear and was mumbling impatiently. 

“Magnus!” She said into the phone a second later. “You need to get here fast- it’s Alec, he’s hurt, a-“ Izzy didn’t finish her sentence, she was cut off. Izzy leaned over Alec then and her long hair brushed the top of his forehead.

“Knife wound, in his left side, it’s a little high- might’ve punctured a lung,” Izzy said, her voice firm and unwavering until she pushed Jace’s hands to the side, enough to get a better look at the blade.

“Fuck, it’s an infused blade,” he heard Izzy mumble into her phone. “You’ve gotta hurry, Magnus!”

There was a short moment where Izzy stayed still, listening to the warlock’s orders before she hurriedly pocketed her phone and then Jace’s hands were back against his side, applying pressure.

“Is he coming?” Jace asked.

Izzy nodded and sat back, her hands moving back to Alec’s hair, though when her fingers ran through his locks this time they shook ever so slightly. Alec thought she looked too pale, almost sick. 

“How does he know where we are?” 

Izzy licked her lips and rubbed a spot on Alec’s temple with her thumb. “He’s tracking us,” she murmured.

“The runes we drew are fading already,” Jace said worriedly.

“It’s the blade. It’s infused with demon poison. Look at the handle.”

Alec opened his mouth to speak, to say something to reassure them that he would be okay, but as soon as he tried to use his voice his throat contracted uncomfortably and he was coughing again, sharp pains echoing through his chest. He could taste more blood in his mouth.

“Shh,” Izzy said, petting his hair again. “Just stay still, don’t try and talk.”

Alec wasn’t sure how much time passed, but it was long enough that he was starting to feel heavy. Up until that point he’d been hyperaware of his body, the stabbing pain emanating from the knife still embedded in his side, a sore and almost numb-like pain spreading from his left shoulder all the way down to the tips of his finger. He felt sluggish. He’d stopped shaking, or at least, that’s what it felt like it. His breathing was slowing ever so slightly and the edges of his vision were blurring more and more. 

A moment later there was a crackling in the air, a sudden rise in temperature and Alec caught the glimpse of something shimmering and bright blue glowing next to them. Izzy’s fingers stopped threading through his hair. A second later Magnus was stepping through the portal, immediately moving to Alec’s side, blue sparks of magic jumping from his hands restlessly. 

Alec caught sight of his face and wanted to frown, the warlocks face was relatively blank and the way his lips pressed together in a straight line was the only hint of worry. He looked grim and yet still beautiful. 

Magnus made a sharp, but swooping motion through the air and suddenly Alec felt weightless and he heard Izzy suck in a quiet breath and her hands fell away from his head. He was floating he realized and slowly moving up, stopping when he was at about Magnus’ waist height. Magnus’ magic was surrounding him. It felt like being wrapped up in a protective blanket, it was warmer and kind of made Alec feel like taking a nap.

“Follow me through the portal,” Magnus said to Izzy and Jace, but his eyes didn’t leave Alec. Alec realized belatedly that was first thing the warlock had said.

Swiftly, but carefully he was moved through the portal, Magnus standing next to him and between one step and the next they were in Magnus’ loft. 

Magnus’ magic kept him hovering above the ground and for the first time he didn’t feel like his shoulder was hurting. That pain had been outshined by the knife in his side as soon as Jace had laid him on the ground. His eyes fluttered a little and a wave of exhaustion pulled at him. He was warmer now and Magnus was here, he’d be okay. He just needed a little nap. His eyes were sliding closed as Magnus moved in closer and looked down at him and Alec caught a glimpse of the warlocks expression crumpling in pain just before his eyes shut.

What Magnus said next he almost didn’t catch, but he heard the warlock murmur softly, “What’ve you done, Alexander?” 

He wanted to respond and tell Magnus he was sorry, but he couldn’t get his eyes to open and he was just so tired. He heard the sound of Jace’s heavy boots and Izzy’s clacking heels as they clambered through the portal. There was a snap of Magnus’ fingers and then Jace was speaking.

“What can we do?” 

“Stay back. I’ve got work to do,” Magnus said simply and that was the last thing Alec heard before he finally fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

***

Waking up was slow business. He was first aware of a soft tapping sound somewhere to his right and almost immediately he wanted the noise to stop. He knew that would be Izzy, he wasn’t sure how he knew, but he did. She had a tendency to bounce or tap her foot when she was impatient or nervous about something. 

He swallowed thickly and cracked his eyes open, groaning softly at the light in the room and letting his eyes slip shut again. 

“Alec?” he heard Izzy ask and then he heard the creak of her chair as she stood up and her heels clacking on the floor and finally a door opening and her announcing to whoever else was around that Alec was awake. 

There was silence after that and Alec thought perhaps Izzy had left for some reason, but then he heard a gentle voice speaking close to him.

“Alexander,” Magnus said, his voice like a caress.

Alec shifted a little towards Magnus’ voice, but his mouth twitched down at the corner. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve dimmed the lights. You can open your eyes,” Magnus said.

Alec took a second before finally blinking his eyes open again, pleased to find the room only shone with a little bit of light, not enough to irritate his eyes.

“Hello, my daring Shadowhunter,” he said, eyes roving over Alec’s face. “How do you feel?”

Alec didn’t even have the energy to blush like he would’ve normally, but he swallowed again and tried to clear his throat, it felt like sandpaper.

“S-sore,” he got out, wincing at how croaky he sounded.

Magnus snapped his fingers and a glass of water appeared in his hand. “Can you sit up?” 

With a nod, Alec shifted his weight forward and bent his back before scooting up carefully. His side and shoulder twinged, but other than that they seemed fine. He glanced down at himself and blushed; he wasn’t wearing a shirt and his pants seemed to have been replaced with a pair of comfortable sweats. He wanted to ask what had happened to his clothes but he got the impression that they may have been destroyed. He remembers his shirt being ripped to shreds from Jace and Izzy trying to get the runes on his chest. Magnus handed him the glass of water and surveyed him closely as he lifted it to his lips and sipped at it. The water was cool and refreshing and immediately soothed his aching throat.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

Magnus waved away his appreciation and took a seat on Alec’s bed, perching beside him. “You took quite a spill. The demon poison was tricky, I had to get it all out of your system before I could sew you back together,” he said lightly, his voice betraying how somber his brown eyes looked.

“Magnus, I-”

“No. You listen here, Alexander. I know I employed you to go out and find my thief and my method of payment may be quite encouraging, but none of that is worth what you did. You could’ve died, Alec,” Magnus said, his eyes flashing in anger. “I don’t want you looking into this messy thievery business anymore, you’re officially fired.” 

“Magnus,” Alec tried to say, but he was cut off again. Magnus seemed to be on a role and unwilling to slow down for anyone.

“No arguments! I refuse to enable your ridiculous, life-threatening adventures. I can’t stop you from running around hunting demons, but I can stop you from doing something so stupid again on my behalf and that’s final.” 

“Magnus,” Alec said again, finally catching the warlock’s attention. “Thank you for saving me,” he said quietly.

Magnus sniffed a little and leaned back, “Well, you’re welcome,” he said as he looked down at his nails critically.

Alec awkwardly looked down too, his eyes focusing on the rim of his water glass. He wasn’t sure what to say or do next. This is what always happened, he was just too awkward and unsure when it came to Magnus and how to talk to him. 

“If anything happened to you…” 

Alec looked up quickly and his gaze met Magnus’. His stomach fluttered and twisted without his consent.

“Alexander, I…” Alec couldn’t stop the shiver that went down his spine when Magnus said his full name like that, spoken so softly and with care. 

“Izzy wasn’t kidding, you’re really awake!” Jace said from the doorway, making Alec and Magnus both jump in surprise. Jace bulldozed on obliviously, “how are you feeling, buddy?” 

Alec looked up from where he’d been staring at Magnus and he forced himself to smile. “Yeah, um, better. Thanks to Magnus,” he said.

Magnus’ cheeks seemed to flush lightly and then he was clapping his hands together and getting up off the bed. “Well, I’ll let you two catch up,” he said, giving Alec one last glance as he backed out of the room before disappearing around the corner. Jace took his space and Alec felt a little ashamed at the small spark of annoyance he felt towards his parabatai. He needed to get himself together. 

“Magnus says you should stay put for a few days, he used a lot of magic on you,” Jace said.

Alec perked up at that, he couldn’t remember anything after being brought through the portal.

“What happened after he brought me back here?” he asked.

Jace shrugged unhelpfully. “He kinda went into like a trance, I guess. He wouldn’t let me or Izzy get too close, I got zapped when I tried,” he said. Alec’s eyes widened and he glanced down at his hands again, not wanting to show that he was eager for more information.

“What else?”

“Um, I don’t know, after that he just stood there and worked his magic,” Jace said, smiling a little to himself as his own joke.

Alec fought the urge to roll his eyes and he decided to give up on the idea of hearing more. “How long was I asleep for?”

“A couple days.”

Alec’s head snapped up and he immediately groaned, reaching up to rub at his neck. “A couple days? Seriously?”

“Hey, you almost died and like I said, Magnus used a lot of magic on you. That blade was nasty stuff.”

“What about the-”

“He got away, but don’t worry, Izzy and I are on it and we’ll find him for you. No one’s gets away with hurting my brother like that,” Jace said. “Izzy’s out for blood.”  
A sudden spark of fear jolted through Alec’s chest, “Jace, promise you’ll be careful. And Izzy-“

“Izzy can handle herself, she has a better record than you and I put together and you know it, but yeah, I’ll watch her back,” Jace reassured. “Don’t worry, we’ll find who did this.”

Alec held Jace’s gaze to make sure he was serious and finally nodded. 

“I’ll send Izzy in next, Magnus didn’t want us all crowding you so we’re supposed to visit one at a time,” he said with a roll of his eyes and Alec tried not to smile as he thought about how caring the warlock had been.

“So I’m stuck here for a few days, huh?” Alec asked as Jace stood up and made his way to the door.

“Yup. Warlock’s orders!” he said with a grin and then he was gone, his boots thudding against the floor as he walked, all confidence. Alec sighed softly and shook his head. He’d gotten over his infatuation with Jace a while ago and ironically, ever since then it was easy to see how likable Jace was. There was rarely a time when Jace wasn’t trying to be charming for the sake of getting people to like and agree with him and Alec had gotten sucked into it. It was easy to like him, especially as his parabatai. A little voice at the back of Alec’s head asked him if that’s why he always let Jace take the lead on their missions and he frowned to himself. 

“I think your face will get stuck if you keep frowning like that,” Izzy said from where she was leaning against the doorway. She reached up and knocked on the wood lightly as she grinned. Alec blushed at being caught in his own thoughts and looked up at his sister. 

“What’s got you so down?” Izzy asked. She moved into the room with a powerful grace, she always controlled a room when she walked into it. She plopped down on the bed, the same spot that Magnus and Jace had sat at.

“Nothing,” Alec answered, shaking his head. He raised the glass to his lips again and took a couple gulps before reaching over to set it on the nightstand. 

“Riiigghhtt,” she said with a smile. “You look a lot better.”

“Thanks.”

Izzy crossed her legs and reached up to toss her hair so it draped over her other shoulder. Another nervous tick that he recognized immediately. 

“Izzy,” he said softly. 

She looked up and saw that she’d been caught and she rolled her eyes a little, tilting her head up and to the right. He saw the light catch on a tear rolling down her cheek and he felt an uncomfortable tightness in his chest as his own eyes watered up. She tapped her hand against her thigh before shifting closer and wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back firmly. He wanted to reassure her as much as himself that he was there and real and that everything was fine.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said against the hair just above his ear. 

“Me too,” he said, his voice thick.

They stayed like that for a few more moments before finally pulling away, Izzy laughing and rubbing away the wetness on her cheek. 

“Look at us,” she said, reaching out with her thumb to wipe away a mirrored tear on Alec’s cheek. Alec laughed too and ran a hand through his hair.

“Alright, now never ever scare me like that again,” Izzy said, her eyes clearing as she sent a sharp, piercing look his way.

For once Alec wasn’t really scared of his sisters gaze, he knew this was her way of playing light of the situation. He appreciated it, but it was still scary. They were Shadowhunters, they fought demons and they all knew they could die at any moment, but it wasn’t until recent times when training and going on simple missions had become less and less and real life was starting to sink in. This wasn’t just some cuts and bruises and it couldn’t be taken care of with a couple runes. So while he was glad Izzy kept things light, there was a dark reminder underlying her words that wouldn’t let him forget that they were always just a step, a moment or a choice away from death.

He smiled anyway and nodded. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he murmured. 

Izzy grinned, “good. Now what did you and Magnus talk about when he was in here?” 

Alec groaned, a little dramatically, for Izzy’s benefit and shook his head. “He just chewed me out for getting hurt pretty much. I’m off the mission too,” he said.

Izzy nodded, “I know. You should’ve seen him after he’d finally finished healing you.” She widened her eyes and leaned in conspiratorially and he knew she wanted to tease him about this so badly. “He was exhausted, almost collapsed as soon as it was done. We helped him to the couch and he just laid there for a while, he wouldn’t fall asleep though and he had us watch you. When he finally had some of his strength back he wouldn’t stop complaining about how stupid you were,” Izzy said with a giggle.

Alec raised an eyebrow and his mouth flattened out, “thanks a lot, Iz.” Great. Magnus thought he was stupid.

“No, no! No, I mean, he meant it in a fond way. Sort of.”

“Izzy!”

Izzy grinned and laughed before calming down some. “Seriously, he was just concerned about you. You’d make noises when you were asleep, like sometimes you’d sound like you were in pain and he’d rush over and check on you. Eventually he just stayed next to you. After awhile Jace and I got him to lay down and rest, he used up a lot of his magic to heal you.”

Alec blushed and opened his mouth, forming half a word before changing his mind. Eventually he managed to ask the question he wanted. “How long did it take?”

“To heal you? About seven hours,” Izzy said.

“Seven?” he asked in astonishment.

“Yeah, the poison wasn’t easy to deal with, but that actually ended up helping us find the guy we’re looking for. There are only a few places he could’ve gotten a blade like that,” she said, trailing off when she realized Alec’s mind was still on Magnus. “Don’t take what he did lightly, okay?” She asked, drawing his attention back. “He didn’t have to do that. He could’ve summoned the Silent Brothers and had them fix you up, but he did it himself, I don’t think he would’ve let anyone else touch you actually.” 

Alec tried to ignore the swell of warmth that spread through his chest at Izzy’s words. He nodded carefully, his thoughts whirling.

“Okay, well you sit and think on all that, Jace and I are heading out. We’ll check on you later, but maybe via text. We’re tracking our thief and it may require a couple days of work,” she said.

“Keep me updated,” he said, watching her stand up and cross the room.

“You do the same!” She called over her shoulder.

Alec frowned in confusion. “About what?”

“If you and Magnus make out or something,” she said casually and then she was gone, leaving a flabbergasted Alec in her wake.


	5. Feel the Draw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec recovers with help from Magnus! Izzy and Jace are on the hunt for the mysterious cloaked villain and Magnus isn't super forthcoming about a lot of things...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from the song 'The Draw' by Bastille. That band is my jam and they give me so many ideas for fics it's unbelievable! Also, happy Friday, everyone! I hope yours was great, I woke up and immediately decided that I would not be going to any of my classes and it was a great decision (at least for now, come Monday I'll probably regret it, but that's a problem for Future Me). 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, they're getting longer every time! Please leave comments, let me know if you like the story, if you hate it, if you have guesses about what's going to happen next! I'd love to hear from you :)

Alec being okay with staying put in bed lasted for about an hour after Jace and Izzy left. He took a short nap because he really was still quite tired, but once he had woken up again and had more water (which had been mysteriously refilled) there really wasn’t anything else to do. Eventually he just needed to pee so he had to get up anyway. 

Standing up was a little bit easier said than done, he grunted when he bent forward and swung his legs over the side of the mattress. He was stiff and his muscles ached, but he was still in one piece so he figured that was a good sign. 

There was a bathroom attached to the room he was staying in and he idly wondered just how big Magnus’ loft was, he’d never seen the whole thing and this was the first time he’d been in the guest room. It was simply decorated which Alec found a little amusing, he kind of expected every aspect of Magnus’ personal space to be as lavish and eye-catching as his clothes, but aside from a few carefully placed splashes of color everything was rather reserved, but still comfortable. The bathroom was much the same and he couldn’t help but smile a little at the cool blue tones of the room. It had a calming atmosphere.

As he was washing his hands he couldn’t help but pause and look at his reflection, eyes running over his bare chest. He shut the water off and dried his hands. He lifted his left arm up and reached over with his right hand to run his fingers over where he knew the knife had been. There wasn’t even a scratch left behind, but the area did feel a little warmer to the touch and his fingertips tingled when he pulled them away. There was still some residual magic in him then. Alec realized that might be why he wasn’t in more pain, he thought back to what Izzy said about him making noises in his sleep. Had Magnus really kept such close watch over him while he was asleep? Using his magic again and again to keep the pain at bay? A shiver ran through him and he shook himself out of it.

When he got back to the bedroom he tried to poke around, hoping he’d find a shirt somewhere, but the drawers in the dresser were empty as was the closet. He glanced around one final time before heading for the door. He opened it slowly and peeked around before stepping out and reaching behind him for the door. It closed with a soft click. His feet were bare too and he felt goosebumps rise over his lower back at the coolness of the air. He headed down the hallway towards what he recognized as the living room, he wasn’t quite sure where he would find Magnus, but he hoped he was around somewhere. 

At first he thought the open living room was empty, he’d half-expected to see Magnus pouring himself a drink, but the small table the warlock kept nearby with a collection of odd colored liquor bottles was just sitting there unattended. Alec moved a little further into the room and that’s when he heard the unmistakable sound of someone sighing. He froze and his eyes darted around the room before finally settling on the back of the couch. His feet moved silently across the floorboards until he was close enough to peer down at the curled up form quietly sleeping on the couch.

It was Magnus. His eyes were closed, giving Alec a perfect view of his shimmering red and orange eyeshadow that was painted across his eyelids. His high cheekbones were a light rosy, pink color that made Alec immediately want to reach out and brush his fingers across his skin to see if he was really as warm and soft as he looked. Magnus had a dark throw blanket pulled up across his chest, one his arms trapped beneath it and the other one laying on top, his hand rested against his side. Alec had always thought Magnus was graceful, but he realized now as he looked at the sleeping warlock that what he’d interpreted as effortless grace was probably a collection of much more practiced and controlled movements than what he’d originally thought. This Magnus was heartbreakingly soft and inviting. Alec sometimes forgot that Magnus had lived for hundreds of years already; had lifetimes to create an image and way about himself. Seeing him truly relaxed and vulnerable stirred something in his chest, a sort of fondness that took him by surprise. There was something so pure about how he looked when he was asleep. For being part demon he looked awfully angelic to Alec. 

Alec’s eyes roved over Magnus’ face and he swallowed when he noticed the warlock’s lips were slightly parted. His chest rose and fell slowly and Alec couldn’t stop thinking about what it would feel like to be nestled against this man, to have his ear pressed to his chest and his arms wrapped around him… to hear his heart beat. He stepped forward to get a better view and the floorboard underneath him creaked and Magnus’ eyes snapped open and Alec saw that they were the yellow eyes of a cat just before a spark of blue magic came flying straight towards Alec’s face and hitting him between the eyes. He gasped and stumbled back, tripping over his own feet and falling straight on his ass, his hands coming up to feel across his forehead. It was a decidedly un-Shadowhunter reaction, but in his defense, he was recovering from a serious injury. The magic hadn’t felt like anything more than a shove, but Alec couldn’t help wondering if there was some kind of mark left behind.

“Magnus!” he yelped.

“Oh, Alec! You scared me,” he heard Magnus say and then he heard the older man sigh, mumbling that one should never creep up on a warlock like that, especially a sleeping one.

Alec was still rubbing over his forehead when he looked up at Magnus and his chest tightened at what he saw.

Magnus was standing above him from the other side of the couch and he had the blanket that had been on top of him balled up and clasped between his hands. The warlocks dark hair was a little disheveled from where it’d been pressed against the cushions and a stray lock fell further down across his forehead. He had a silky looking, deep red shirt on and…

“Are you wearing sweatpants?” Alec heard himself ask.

Magnus glanced down at himself and threw his hands up, letting the blanket fall back to the couch. He shot Alec a look of exasperation. “Yes, Alexander, I am wearing sweatpants which is something that people tend to do when they take naps. Believe it or not, I do enjoy the comforts of my own home from time to time and that includes more… relaxing clothing choices.” Magnus stared at him for another second and Alec couldn’t think of anything to say back, but then Magnus seemed to really see him and his eyes widened.

“What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting,” he said, hurrying around the couch and smoothly leaning down to grab his hands and pull him back up off the floor.

Alec tried to ignore how warm Magnus’ hands felt against his cool skin. He glanced down and remembered why he’d come out here in the first place.

“I was looking for a shirt,” Alec said awkwardly.

Magnus’ eyes dragged over Alec’s chest in a way that made the Shadowhunter kind of want to grab the blanket from the couch and cover himself with it. Magnus didn’t say anything though and pulled his hands back from Alec’s before snapping his finger, a black t-shirt suddenly appearing in his grasp. 

“You can wear this one,” Magnus said as he held it out and Alec noticed that his eyes still hadn’t left his chest. “I know how you like black.”

He reached out and took the shirt, quickly pulling it over his head and tugging it down across his stomach. He blushed when he heard a very distinct sigh, different from when he’d heard Magnus sleeping, this one had more attitude.

“Thank you,” Alec said. “Should you being doing magic?”

Magnus raised an eyebrow and stepped over to his drink tray to grab a glass and a bottle of something pink.

“There’s no need for your concern, though I do appreciate that you worry about me,” he said, making Alec’s cheeks heat up even more. “I’ve rested quite a lot since I healed you.”

Alec reached up and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more than it was before. “That’s- um, that’s good.” 

“Drink?” the warlock asked, making a glass of water appear in Alec’s free hand. Alec stared at it for a moment.

“No alcohol?”

Magnus smiled and shook his head, “like I said, you should be resting.”

“I can’t just lay in bed all day,” Alec said.

“At least take a seat out here then, keep me company while I watch TV,” the warlock said.

Alec glanced behind him at the living room. “You have a TV? Where?”

Magnus snapped his fingers again and a large flat screen appeared on top of a desk across the room.

Alec raised an eyebrow and watched as Magnus moved around the couch before sitting down elegantly, bending his knees to pull his legs up onto the cushions as well.

“Come sit down, Alexander.” Magnus gestured to the empty space beside him with a tiny flick of his wrist.

Alec moved and sat down, feeling a little awkward as he stared at his glass of water.

“Hmm, I’m thinking Project Runway, what do you say?” Magnus asked, glancing in Alec’s direction.

Alec looked from the TV to Magnus in confusion. He shrugged, “We don’t watch TV at the institute.”

Magnus let out a long, suffering sigh. “They really don’t let you live,” he mumbled as he waved his hand in a small gesture and the TV turned on.

“We’re Shadowhunters, we don’t have time for hobbies or TV. Our lives are dedicated to fighting demons,” Alec said, unable to stop himself from repeating the same thing he had told himself repeatedly over the years. 

Magnus turned a little more towards him and Alec felt his gaze boring into him. 

“There’s more to life than just fighting demons, Alec. Trust me, I would know,” he said softly.

An image flashed in Alec’s head, the image of a warlock in the middle of a battle, magic pouring from his palms. The painting from the hotel. His thoughts started whirling and he reached for his pocket out of habit, realizing a second later that he was in sweats and not his regular clothes.

“Where’s my phone?” Alec asked. Magnus was watching him with a curious look on his face.

“I kept it… it had blood on it. I cleaned it for you and charged it,” Magnus said, reaching over to the small table beside the couch and handing over Alec’s phone.

Alec licked his lips and set his glass down before unlocking his phone and pulling up his photos. There it was. He stared at the picture; it was just as he remembered it. He zoomed in a little and focused on the part he really wanted to see. Now that he looked more closely at it he became more excited, more sure of his suspicion.

“Alec, are you alright?” Magnus asked.

Alec turned to him, eyes bright with excitement. He moved closer and moved his phone so Magnus could see the picture.

“Magnus, is this you?” he asked. 

Magnus stared at the phone for a moment, his expression blank, but then he was setting his glass aside and plucking Alec’s phone from his grasp and bringing it closer to himself. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, but eventually he looked up at Alec.

“Where did you take this?” he asked quietly.

“At The Howl, it was hanging in the hallway. I took this picture right before I saw the cloaked man leave his room. I thought there was something familiar about the warlock in the painting, but I wasn’t sure of anything until- well until now I guess. That’s you isn’t it?” Alec asked.

Magnus nodded and slowly passed Alec his phone back.

“What battle was that, Magnus?” Alec asked. “You look-“

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But Magnus-“ Alec started to say, but he was interrupted again.

“Alec.” 

He finally took a second to look at the warlock and he realized that where his cheeks were once warm with color they now looked pale and Alec had to admit the warlock almost looked sick. 

“Sorry,” he said quietly, his hands dropping down to his lap.

Magnus took a deep breath and seemed to collect himself. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I’d just prefer not to discuss that painting.” 

Alec nodded and glanced away, a silence beginning to grow between them. “So um, Project Run Away, you said?” Alec asked a moment later, trying to break the ice. It worked. Magnus let out the most adorable giggle Alec had ever heard, a light tinkling sort of sound. It reminded Alec a little of wind chimes.

“It’s Project Runway, dear. My, my, I have so much to teach you,” he said and suddenly the sound from the TV filled the room and Alec watched as a tall, slender woman walked down a runway on screen, introducing herself and the show as she did.

He took a sip of his water before relaxing back into the couch, which had surprisingly comfy cushions that he just kind of sunk into. He found it was easy, sitting there with Magnus and watching TV, though he soon found it more entertaining to watch Magnus watch TV instead. Sleep crept up and took him by surprise. The last thing he remembered was a soft blanket being laid across his body and a faint tingling pressure starting at his forehead that moved through his entire body like honey and made his limbs heavy. 

***

When Alec woke up he knew immediately that something was wrong. It wasn’t often that Alec woke up groggily, he’d been trained from a young age to be ready at a moments notice, even if that meant going from sleeping to fighting in just a few seconds. This was no different; a spark of adrenaline ran down his spine, something wasn’t right. All the lights in the loft were off and his eyes took their sweet time adjusting. He reached for his stele out of habit before realizing that he was still in sweats and didn’t have any idea where his gear or weapons were. He couldn’t remember even seeing his stele when he’d woken up earlier.

He pushed the blanket off of himself in swift silence and stood cautiously as he looked around the room, his gaze lingering on every dark corner or suspicious shadow. He moved to the kitchen first and grabbed the first sharp knife he could find, he hated not having a weapon, but even a normal blade would give him enough time to possibly escape an attacker. 

That was when he heard a shout from deeper in the loft and his heart stopped for a moment. 

“Magnus,” he said breathlessly before running towards the shout, barreling around the corner to the hallway. As he was running he had a few seconds to realize that he could be running directly into a trap, but almost as soon as the thought had fully formed and he’d briefly considered slowing and changing tactics the door at the end of the hallway that he’d been running towards- that he knew instinctively was Magnus’ without having to be told- exploded.

The door broke off its hinges and splintered into smaller pieces, sections of the frame flew away too, all headed towards Alec. The blast knocked him back to the ground and his elbow knocked against the floor at a bad angle, a sharp pain down to the bone shooting up his arm. He gasped and looked up quickly, rolling to his feet. There was wood everywhere and a faint film of smoke emanating from the bedrooms now destroyed doorway. As he watched a dark, hooded figure emerged from the smoke. Alec’s heart thudded in his chest and he threw the knife quickly, watched as it tumbled blade over hilt through the air straight towards the figures heart. 

In a fraction of a second the cloaked man raised a hand and Alec’s skin crawled, it was the same ancient, graying hand from the hotel. Alec watched as the blade that had been directly headed for his target turned to dust before his eyes, disintegrating just before it could meet its mark. The figure stood there a moment and Alec got the sense that it was sizing him up. It’s head tilted to the side just barely and Alec thought it might even speak to him, but then suddenly he heard a bang from behind him and the figures head turned toward the noise before whirling and running down the hallway to it’s left. Alec ran after him, skidded around the corner just in time to watch the figure jump through the window at the end of the hallway, the glass shattering everywhere as the figures billowing cloak fell out of sight.

Alec heard pounding footsteps behind him and a few seconds later Jace and Izzy were on him, yelling his name. Jace ran past him towards the broken window and peered outside as Izzy tugged on his arm and turned him around.

“Alec, Alec, are you okay?” She asked insistently, reaching up to cup his face between her gloved hands.

He snapped out of it, it was like everything up to that point had been happening at a slower speed and suddenly things were normal again, but it still felt too fast.

“Magnus,” he mumbled, eyes widening. He brushed off Izzy’s hands and stepped around her, running towards the splintered doorway to the warlock’s bedroom, ignoring the tiny wood chips that cut his feet and dug into his skin like tiny teeth. Izzy called out behind him, but he didn’t hear what she said.

He stuttered to a stop as soon as he was inside the room. It was a mess, there was broken wood everywhere, floorboards torn up, and everything inside seemed to have been affected by the blast. Clothes, broken glass and torn books were scattered around the room, feathers from expensive pillows still fluttered through the air to settle on the floor. 

“Magnus,” he yelled, heart pounding, a ringing filling his ears because he couldn’t see him and he didn’t know-

A groan sounded out from across the room to Alec’s relief and he moved towards the sound before his eyes widened in horror, it was coming from underneath a toppled over and fractured wardrobe, a large one at that. He was running again, jumping over the remains of Magnus’ room and he caught sight of Magnus’ hand, sticking out from under the wardrobe and he fell to his knees.

“Magnus, can you hear me?” he called, reaching out to touch the warlock’s hand.

Alec could hear Izzy’s heels on the floor and heard her swear before calling for Jace. A second later she was kneeling by his side.

“We need to get this off of him,” Alec said. “I need your stele,” he said hurriedly.

Izzy pressed it into Alec’s palm quickly as Jace ran into the room. Alec traced his strength rune, the familiar burn settling deep in his skin. 

Jace and Izzy already had most of their runes in use so they didn’t waste any time before each taking a side of the wardrobe and lifting it together. The wood groaned and a couple smaller pieces broke off but they were able to shove it off up and off the trapped warlock before letting it crash to the floor. 

They all rushed to the warlock’s aid, pulling off smaller pieces of wood and tossing them away. Magnus was on his back and there was dust and wood chips covering him from head to toe, his eyes were open and it sent a shock through Alec’s heart when he saw they were cats eyes looking back. Magnus was breathing harshly and he lifted his hand up towards Alec who took it immediately, not even questioning what Magnus would need.

Magnus’ eyes slipped shut and Alec wanted to call out his name again, fearing the worst, but then he felt the draw on the energy inside himself. Magnus was taking his energy, tapping into what felt like a reserve of magic that had been locked away inside Alec. His eyes slipped closed without his conscious decision and he didn’t fight it, he let his defenses fall down and just gave everything he could. Magnus had already done so much to heal him and it was time to repay the favor. 

The whole thing lasted only about a minute before Alec felt Magnus letting go of his head and he opened his eyes to see Magnus’ already open; they were still the yellow eyes of a cat. Magnus sat up and it was Izzy who moved forward, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Whoa there, maybe you should take things slowly,” she said.

Jace moved forward and tugged at Alec’s hand to bring his arm closer, using his stele to trace his healing rune.

“Is the intruder gone?” Magnus asked and Alec shivered at how his voice sounded- rough and deep and angry. He’d never seen Magnus look so… violent. The image of the painting flashed in his mind, a warlock surrounded by powerful magic, and he shivered. It was way too easy to forget how powerful Magnus was when he was flirting with him all the time. He was starting to understand that he didn’t use the full magnitude of his powers very often.

Izzy glanced at Jace who looked at the ground before shifting his gaze back up. “Yeah, he jumped out the window. Izzy and I will go track him. C’mon, Iz.”

“Shouldn’t we stay here?” Izzy asked, even as Jace was standing up. “They’re both hurt.”

“No, Alexander and I will be fine. I was caught off-guard before, I will not be making the same mistake,” Magnus said, the same sharp edge in his voice.

“Alec.” Izzy’s voice was soft and her touch on his elbow was cool. His eyes hadn’t left Magnus, but he turned and met the concern in her brown eyes with his own.

“We’ll be fine, but be careful. I threw a knife at him and he turned it to dust,” Alec said. 

Magnus was suddenly standing fluidly and moving out from under the rubble, heading towards what was left of his nightstand and bed. He rummaged around for a moment before turning around with two small vials in his hand that he held out for Izzy and Jace. “Take these as protection. They’re very strong, you’ll only need a drop or two,” he said.

Jace eyed the vial cautiously, but he reached out and took it, Izzy doing the same. Jace held it up and shook it, the contents were completely clear. 

“What is-”

“Do not ask me. You really don’t want to know, but it won’t harm you,” Magnus said.

Jace nodded and stuffed it in his pocket. “Izzy.” 

Izzy moved across the room, slipping her own vial away. “You sure you’ll be okay?” she asked Alec, but it was Magnus that answered.

“Alexander and I will be moving to a safer location, I’ll let you know where it is later, when you’re done,” he said.

Alec watched his siblings nod and turn to leave. Magnus moved back into his view as he reached down and grabbed his arm, tugging him up from the floor.

“Are you alright, Alec?” he asked.

Alec nodded and swallowed, his throat dry like the dusty air. “Yes, he- the figure, he didn’t hurt me- he could’ve, but didn’t.” He still couldn’t figure out why.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay? I didn’t take too much from you, did I?” Magnus asked.

He focused back on the conversation at hand and shook his head, “no, it was strange though. It felt… different than the last time, when you were healing Luke, I mean,” he said quietly.

Magnus nodded and stepped away from Alec, turning and crossing the room in a few strides. He snapped a duffle bag into his hand and started to rummage through his things, packing an assortment of items into it, none of which were clothes. “I’ll explain that to you later, but for now, we need to leave here. I don’t think that our friend,” his voice twisted the word, making it sound like a curse, “will be coming back here, but with my wards down I don’t feel comfortable staying here.” 

“The safe house?” Alec asked, as he looked around again, his gaze flitting between all the entrances and windows. 

“One of them,” Magnus said.

“Magnus, where are my things? I need my stele and my weapons,” he said. He felt naked without his bow in hand and his arrows strapped to his back.

The warlock’s mouth twisted down, “I apologize for that, I thought I was keeping them safe. Turns out there are a lot of things I misjudged. They’re here,” he said, the fingers of his left hand doing some sort of intricate movement and then suddenly Alec’s gear and weapons were laying on a spot of Magnus’ bed that wasn’t cluttered with debris. 

He moved forward swiftly and slipped on his leather jacket and placed his quiver across his back. He traced over a couple more runes with his stele just in case and gripped his bow tightly. It was a familiar weight in his hand and the aged and infused wood was comforting. Already, he was feeling much more calm. When he looked back up Magnus was zipping up the duffle bag before moving to conjure a portal. Even with his hair disheveled and his clothes torn in places and covered in dust, Magnus was beautiful. His eyes still hadn’t changed back to normal and Alec wondered if it was a defense mechanism kind of like his how his runes acted when he traced them and how they faded slowly over time from disuse. 

Magnus turned back to Alec once the portal was complete and held out his hand to the shadowhunter. Alec took it without question and followed him through the purple and blue swirling veil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in the next chapter... Magnus and Alec in the safehouse! And possibly some more bonding time! ;)


	6. Veins Run Red and Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec at the 'safehouse'. Alec struggles with what he wants vs. what he knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long on this update! Real life came a'knockin and I had to answer. I don't know when the next update will be, kinda depends on how my workload turns out the next couple weeks, but I do hope I can update before too long! Trust me, I'm not abandoning this fic, but I do have to prioritize school over fic writing (which sucks I know). 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this update and all the tension! Comments are great for keeping me motivated to work on this story so keep them coming!

            It turns out that by ‘safehouse’ what Magnus really meant was vacation home.

            After the darkness of the loft the sudden brightness in front of them had Alec squinting and raising a hand to shield his eyes. Magnus dropped his hand and Alec heard the faint _whoosh_ of the portal closing. He blinked and took a step forward, barely believing his eyes.

            They were standing in the living room of what Alec could only describe as a beachfront getaway. It looked like it came from the pages of a magazine or maybe off one of the giant billboards in Times Square. There weren’t any doors in front of them; practically the whole back of the house they were in was open to the outside, which was a beach. Alec lowered his arm and watched the clearest water he’d ever seen lap gently at the white sand. There were palm trees and everything was blues, greens, creams and light browns. It was beautiful and _warm_. He could already feel his skin starting to stick to the leather of his jacket. Alec hadn’t traveled much in his life and certainly not to anywhere tropical and the humidity and warmth was certainly a surprise. The air felt thicker here, but still fresh. He could smell the ocean. There was no dirty, dark New York alleyways or shady corners in sight. He’d never seen anything quite so bright, except maybe Idris.

            He finally glanced at Magnus and caught the warlock watching him.

            “Where are we?” he breathed out.

            “A private island in the Philippines. Technically, mundanes can’t even see this island so it’s not on very many maps. It’s strongly hidden and protected, I inherited it from a friend when he died,” Magnus explained.

            “The Philippines,” Alec mumbled. He looked out at the bright blue water again and shook his head. It took him a little longer than he wanted to admit to come back down to earth.

            “But Jace and Izzy!” he finally said, whirling on Magnus quickly, his muscles locking up. “We can’t just leave them-“

            “I’m not abandoning your siblings, Alec,” Magnus reassured gently, raising a hand to stop his protests, his rings glittered in the sunlight. “When they’re done with their mission they can contact us and I can bring them here or we can go to them and if they need us we’re only a portal away.”

            “Right,” Alec said, pivoting on his heel. The house was quite plain, but there was a kitchen and open bar to his right, a small dining area and a couple doors to the left that he guessed were bedrooms. He couldn’t stop thinking of a cabana. The place was definitely more of a house or hut, but the openness of it all… the light breeze that brushed over his face made it feel romantic and wistful. “Do you have lots of safe houses?” he asked, clearing his throat.

            “As many as have been necessary,” Magnus said ominously.

            Alec glanced back at Magnus and his step faltered, he always seemed to be losing his footing around the warlock. “Your eyes,” he said.

            “What?” Magnus asked.

            “Um, the- your eyes are, they’re still yellow,” Alec stuttered.

            Magnus shot Alec a surprised look before blinking and suddenly his eyes were back to normal, no cat-like qualities remaining.

            “You can’t control when they change?” Alec asked curiously.

            “Oh, I can, but sometimes they change when I use my magic and I forget to adjust them back, it’s happened more times than I can count and led to some rather interesting interactions,” the warlock said and if Alec hadn’t been watching him he would’ve missed the way Magnus swayed on his feet, almost imperceptibly.

            “Are you okay? Maybe you should sit down,” he said, worry creeping into his tone.

            Magnus let the duffle bag slip off his shoulder to the ground and nodded, “perhaps you’re right, Alexander.” He took two steps towards the nearby ottoman before he started to fall, but Alec darted forward and caught him swiftly unable to stop himself from thinking that even when falling Magnus was still all grace. At first he just had his arms around him and was holding him up, but when he was sure Magnus was unable to walk on his own he bent further down to scoop up the warlock, one arm under his back and the other behind his knees. He made it to the small couch and laid Magnus down gently, concern creasing his brow.

            He sank to his knees beside the ottoman. “What’s going on, Magnus?”

            The older man took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the ceiling like he was trying to get himself under control. “Still a little shaky on the dismount, it seems,” he finally mumbled. “Portals take quite a bit more energy than most other spells and making one so soon after our guest introduced himself to me…” his voice trailed of.

            “Is there something I can do? Could you take more of my energy?” Alec offered, feeling helpless and entirely out of his depth. Warlocks were so much more complicated than shadowhunters. He was used to simple solutions: get hurt; trace the rune. Magic seemed to cross so many lines and blur them at the same time.

            “Unfortunately, I’ve already used up your reserves, but your offer is very noble.” Magnus sounded tired; the lingering anger he’d shown since leaving the loft was gone replaced with a weariness he hadn’t seen before.

            Alec remembered how it felt at the loft when Magnus took his energy, it hadn’t been particularly draining like he’d expected. It had felt like Magnus was drawing from a separate source of energy other than Alec’s. “My reserves?” he parroted.

            Magnus sighed and turned his gaze towards Alec. “I may have… put some extra magic in your system over the past few days as extra insurance in case something like this happened. I was more expecting to have to use it for your safety than my own, but it came in useful anyway.”

            “You were using me as a magic reservoir?” Alec asked. “You can do something like that?”

            “There’s a lot I can do, Alexander.”

            “How long have you been storing magic in me?” he asked.

            Magnus peeked over at Alec and let out a quiet sigh. “I may have started awhile ago, it seemed like the smart thing to do when things became so complicated.”

            “Have you just been doing this to me?” Alec asked.

            “Yes, your body has adapted rather nicely to my magic,” Magnus said, eyes flickering away in a movement that Alec didn’t catch.

            Alec sat back a little more and looked down at his hands as he took in the information. “I think I should feel used,” he eventually said, his voice fading towards the end of the sentence.

            “But?” Magnus prompted and Alec tried to decide if he sounded hopeful or not.

            “I don’t,” he said simply, lifting his head to meet Magnus’ gaze. “Why is that?” he whispered.

            Magnus’ gaze softened as he looked back at Alec. “Alexander,” he said and Alec couldn’t stop the way his stomach swooped when he heard the warlock say his name.

            “Why did you almost die trying to catch my thief? I think we both know it’s not because you wanted a favor from me,” the warlock said softly.

            Alec licked his lips and felt his chest tightening, constricting slowly and squeezing the air out of his lungs. “I-wh-why wouldn’t I want to earn a favor from you?” he stuttered.

            “Because, darling, you could already have a thousand favors from me,” Magnus said, a smile curling the corners of his mouth up. Alec watched almost in a trance as Magnus reached out and ever so lightly brushed his thumb in a broad stroke across his cheek. Heat rose quickly underneath his skin and the place where Magnus’ finger touched felt like fire. His breath caught in his chest and he exhaled shakily, swaying forward like he wanted to be so much closer, but he stopped himself, trapped on an edge. Magnus’ eyes watched his for a few seconds and something flickered behind his gaze that Alec couldn’t interpret and then Magnus’ hand was dropping back down against the ottoman.

            “Magnus,” he whispered, surprised that his voice still worked when his throat felt so dry.

            “No need to fret, my dear. I can be patient, I know this is all very… new for you,” he murmured. “I really should rest up, feel free to wander the island. It’s a beautiful day,” Magnus said before closing his eyes.

            Alec closed his open mouth and realized all too late that whatever moment they’d shared was over and he couldn’t go back. There he went again, somehow always messing things up. He swiftly stood up and silently moved away from Magnus, towards one of the bedroom doors. The room he walked into was even more plain than anything in Magnus’ loft though he could understand the need to keep the upkeep on a safe house minimal. There was a set of double doors that led out to a small balcony and Alec could see the line of palm trees and slightly thicker forage a little further away. He made a quick decision and placed his bow and quiver on the bed before stripping off his jacket, peeling the leather back from his sticky skin. He toed off his shoes and pulled off the sweat pants and t-shirt and tried to not think about the fact that he would be walking around in his boxers, but it was too warm for sweatpants and he didn’t have anything else.

            He pulled open the doors to the balcony and vaulted over the bannister in one smooth motion, falling down and landing in the hot sand. He took off at a run, determined to get away- from himself or Magnus he wasn’t sure. His toes spread out in the sand and he pushed himself harder, making it to the edge of the forage and changing course to run along the coast of the small island. The water lapped at the sand to his right and he would catch glimpses of the sun reflecting off the blue, always nearly blinding him and reminding him too much of Magnus’ rings and the bright blue of his magic.

            As much as he tried, he couldn’t stop his brain from _thinking_. He finally stopped when he’d gone so far that the beach house was just a distant dot down the coastline and his feet burned from the heat of the sand. Sweat dripped down his nose as he caught his breath and he slowly meandered toward the water, sighing as the water soothed his feet. It was by no means cold water, but the change in texture helped significantly.

            He was slowly making his way back towards the house, continuing to walk through the water as he thought over what Magnus had said. In a fit of frustration he kicked at the water and watched the sand underwater plume up in a dusty cloud before slowly settling back down. Magnus had said that this was all new to Alec… and he was wrong. Well, kind of. His feelings for Magnus- even just thinking that had Alec’s stomach tightening up in a way he couldn’t quite describe. His feelings for the warlock, those were new, but Alec having _feelings_ in general was not new. Alec thought over the years he’d spent silently pining for Jace and he couldn’t help but compare how he’d felt for the other Shadowhunter to how he felt now. The two sets of feelings couldn’t have been more different. With Jace everything had been brand new and even a little confusing at times; Alec remembers always finding Jace attractive in one way or another and their parabatai bond had certainly messed with his head, but it never felt like he couldn’t breathe.

            He frowned as he thought of Magnus again, he’d never quite thought of describing it that way, but that’s definitely what kept happening. He would just lose his breath anytime the warlock looked at him a certain way or sometimes it was just being so close to him… By the Angel, his brain would just turn to mush sometimes when he tried to talk to him and all the carefully constructed sentences in his head would come out in a stuttering mess. Being around Magnus was like losing control. It was wild and unpredictable and he never new what to expect.

            The part of himself that loved being a Shadowhunter, that enjoyed tracking down demons and being out in the field on a mission where anything could happen got a kick out of the excitement he felt around Magnus. The logical part of his mind reminded him that excitement like that was dangerous, it’s why the Clave made rules and why he followed them as best he could. There had to be order and if he went further with Magnus where would that leave him? He couldn’t stop thinking about what Jace would say or do if he found out or even his parents.

            All of this ran through Alec’s mind, but he couldn’t help and think of saying ‘no’ to Magnus because maybe the next time Magnus talked to him he wouldn’t be so patient and maybe he’d ask him directly to make a choice. He thought of trying to turn the warlock away and it made him feel sick. He didn’t know how to do any of this, but what’s worse is that he didn’t think he could _not_ do it. Something was pulling him closer to the warlock every time he was in the room with him and he didn’t know how long he could fight it. He was so confused.

            He’d been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn’t been keeping track of how close he was getting to the house so when he heard Magnus calling out his name he nearly fell sideways into the water in surprise.

            When he looked over Magnus was waving from the back porch and Alec could see that the warlock had changed into a pair of light pants and a white flowing shirt. Alec waved back and moved towards him, walking out of the water and watching as the sand stuck to his wet feet.

            “You’re turning red,” he heard Magnus say as they neared each other.

            “What?” Alec asked in confusion.

            “The sun, it’ll burn your lovely skin. Here, use this,” the warlock said as he snapped a bottle of sunscreen into his hand and held it out for him.

            “Thanks.”

            The cream felt cool against his heated skin when he started to spread it over his arms and chest and he heard a familiar sigh, glancing up to see Magnus staring rather blatantly at his chest. Alec felt himself blush and he looked down quickly, expecting Magnus to realize that he’d seen him and look away, but at a second glance Magnus was still staring unabashedly.

            “Um, Magnus,” he said as his hands slowed the circular paths they’d been making over his skin. “Magnus.”

            The warlock finally snapped out of it and inhaled carefully as his eyes widened. “Sorry, hi. What were you saying, gorgeous?”

            “Uh, when did you wake up?” he asked as he continued to rub in the lotion. He got his own shoulders, but was struggling with his back.

            “Oh, not long ago. I’m feeling much more energized now,” Magnus said lightly, but Alec could hear a tension in his voice. “Would you like some assistance, Alexander?” he asked innocently, but when Alec looked up he could see a gleam in the warlocks eyes.

            “U-uh, um- su- sure,” he finally got out, wishing his face didn’t feel like it was on fire. He turned around before he could make even more ridiculous noises and held out the bottle.

            He felt Magnus move closer and his breath brush over the back of his neck making goosebumps raise up over his arms. Magnus grabbed the lotion and Alec heard the click of the bottle cap opening and then there was a coolness against his back and a soft hand brushing across his skin. The muscles in his back tensed, but inbetween one stroke of Magnus’ hand down his back and the next he felt like his muscles were turning to goo. The air in his lungs left him in a long, slow exhale and his eyes slipped closed. Magnus’ thumb brushed at the nape of his neck and he felt his lips tremble.

            Finally Magnus stepped back, the gentle touch of his fingers falling away leaving Alec wishing for any excuse to get them back.

            “All done,” the warlock said and even Alec had to admit that there was a level of breathlessness to Magnus’ voice.

            He turned slowly and struggled to meet Magnus’ gaze directly. “Thanks.”

            “Any time, Alexander. Now, shall we eat dinner?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter... dinner and some conversation, more time on the island!


End file.
